Experiencing the journey of life

Intuition

In the past month I have had several conversations with friends about learning to listen to their intuition – about people, self, life circumstances, faith. It strikes me that listening to one’s intuition is always a bit of a risk. How to be sure whether the decision you choose to make is sound – the certainty rarely come before the decision is made. That is a risk. The risk is less about the decision itself and more about knowing yourself well enough to know how to be in tuned with your intuition. When life is filled with voices offering commentary to your life and the decisions you make it is easy to question if listening to your intuition was in fact a wise choice.

For my friends who have shared about wondering whether listening to their intuition was a healthy decision I have been encouraged by their strength to trust themselves. Encouraged because the decisions that allow you to come to know yourself better, know your community better, know your God better are the ones which – I genuinely believe – are guided by the divine Spirit stirring within each of us.

As someone who holds a leadership role in the church I wish I could give a 10 step way to ensure you know how to be in tuned with your intuition, but I can’t. What I can speak to is what I have seen in my friends stories and my own. Be willing to take a chance to be honest to who you are becoming – even when that means letting go of who you have been. Reflect on what has given you life and what has caused you disharmony in past decisions, listen to those moments and see how your intuition has been shaped by them. Surround yourself with people who are willing to reflect back to you what they hear you saying and if they hear motives of fear or courage. Growing to trust your intuition is a process – it’s not a one stop shop fix.

To my friends who have taken the risk of listening to their intuition and have grown further into wholeness I am thankful and honored to see your journey. You have reminded me to consider the fullness of my context, history, resources, and strength when learning to be in tuned with my intuition. You remind me the risk of growing to know myself earnestly is worth it. Through your stories of how you have come to trust your intuition I have been reminded to not be controlled by fears of loss of privilege or status but let those be known so they don’t cloud intuition. For your risk of trusting your intuition and sharing your stories, thank you. May we all continue to make this worthwhile risk of knowing self.